


Tomatoes and Anxiety Attacks

by PrinceSkylar



Series: You're Really Lovely (Underneath It All) [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Awkward Romance, Awkwardness, Boys Being Boys, Dates, Dating, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Dates, Gaara and Sasuke both have issues, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Sasuke is far too nice and Gaara is dying over it, Social Anxiety, issues that will be expanded on later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-08-05 00:35:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16357238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinceSkylar/pseuds/PrinceSkylar
Summary: A few dates here and there proved to Gaara that maybe he and Sasuke had a bit more in common than he originally thought. It also proved that maybe, just maybe, despite how awkward they both were, maybe they weren't too out of their elements after all. Then again, it was a bit hard to think about anything when you have an anxiety attack in the middle of your third date.





	Tomatoes and Anxiety Attacks

**Author's Note:**

> Here I am again, avoiding my Kiba series because I'm lazy and tired. Not gonna lie I'm surprised people were into this. There's some minor hinting that Gaara's dad was abusive and that Sasuke's dad is too, but it isn't heavy in detail. Just a fair warning.

Date number one with Sasuke Uchiha had confirmed everything Gaara had heard about him from both Naruto and Lee.

Sasuke's parents had been good friends with Naruto's parents even before both Sasuke and Naruto were born. Naruto had always been with him, like some sort of grounding presence in his life. And, apparently, Sasuke had gone to the same high school as Gaara. But Gaara had kept mostly to himself and had just a small group of friends that were also friends with Naruto, who he himself had only met his senior year. He was sure he could say with certainty now that all of Naruto’s friends were also his friends...aside from Sasuke, who had been just as evasive as Gaara had been in high school. Gaara made a mental note that day to check the one single year book he owned for Sasuke’s face.

Sasuke came from a rich family, with a dad who was a CEO and a Mother who had written two very successful book series; Gaara knew for a fact they sold those books at the store he worked at. Sasuke also had an older brother who was working in their father's company, though Sasuke didn't mention too much about him in the long run. That was okay, though.

Gaara himself came from a richer background too, but it was his father's money, and that was something he and his siblings had cut themselves off from as best as they could the first chance they could. He still sent all three of them money every month and every holiday, money that was probably a lot more than other people’s parents gave them, but it was only ever used for important things like their shared rent, car insurances, and other such things. And they hated it. That little bit of information had Sasuke cocking his head curiously at him and Gaara knew that curious expression no matter who wore it; he quickly changed the subject.

Sasuke was going to school as a business major; numbers were far easier to deal with than people were, he had said. He took pride in his good grades but had, a little regretfully, admitted upfront about being a little obsessed with good grades. A habit from his childhood, he had said, that his father had drilled into him.

Gaara had gone to community college as soon as he graduated high school, hoping to find something that sparked a fire in his belly. Instead, he had gotten a sheet of paper saying he passed and a lingering feeling that he wasn't good enough at anything to make a living out of it.

They didn't linger on the topic of school for too long, though. Getting too personal too quickly didn't seem to be on either of their agendas.

However, he also learned that night that Sasuke was a night owl and could text someone about anything and everything. For the first time in his life, Gaara had _willingly_ stayed up to talk to someone and nothing Naruto or Lee had said in the past had prepared him for the way butterflies flutter around in his gut at each text that came through.

Date number two had been a meeting in the park next to the college campus a handful of days later, where they ate lunch together after Gaara had left an earlier shift at the store. Under the shade of a tree Gaara learned that Sasuke crinkled his nose when he laughed. That he bit his lip just a little too much, and sometimes that action made something in Gaara's gut go _wild._ It was cute, though.

When Gaara laughed it was quiet and he turned his face away as if he was afraid to be seen in such a vulnerable state. He supposed that maybe he was. He didn't bite his lip when he was anxious, though. He had a rather nasty habit of digging his nails into his palms, sometimes drawing blood and sometimes just until it stung. It was an awful habit that was nowhere near as cute or endearing as when Sasuke bit his lip.

Gaara also learned that Sasuke loved tomatoes. Like...he _loved_ them. Which was a welcome relief when Gaara peeled an unwanted slice of tomato from his burger he had picked up on his way over, only to have the other young man snatch it up like his life depended on it.

“ _Never_ waste a tomato.”

Gaara scoffed and scowled softly as Sasuke but into the offending vegetable. “You can have any and all tomatoes that I ever find in my food. I can't eat them unless it's like...tomato sauce.”

“You poor thing.” Sasuke teased gently, looking down at the notebook in his lap. Oh, how Gaara didn't miss homework. “What's your favorite food?”

Gaara hummed softly as he bit into his burger, chewing slowly. “Curry.” he decided. “My older brother makes the best spicy curry.”

“My older brother can't even cook an egg.” Sasuke scoffed with a small shake of his head. His knee barely brushed Gaara's as he shifted a bit and both of them pretended not to notice.

This was still all so new to Gaara and he wasn’t really sure what they were. This was only their second date...what did a second date mean? What did it mean when one second they were both so at ease and then a moment later they were back to being awkward, fumbling messes?

What did it mean when Gaara's eyes lingered on Sasuke's smile just a little too long? What did it mean when Sasuke watched him with such focus, like he really cared about what Gaara had to say? And what did it mean when Gaara found himself feeling a little too eager for Sasuke's text once they parted ways?

Date number three didn't happen for nearly another two long weeks filled with late night text conversations and more apprehension than Gaara was used to.

Gaara had been the one to pick up Sasuke this time. He had the day off and his own car, so why wouldn't he pick Sasuke up after his classes? That being said, he still wasn't prepared for the wave of anxious excitement that washed over him as Sasuke got into the passenger seat of his car.

“Thanks for picking me up.” Sasuke murmured, throwing him a small smile, though it seemed strained. That made sense; there was a test today in one of Sasuke's classes, so it was only natural that he be a little uneasy.

It sort of unnerved Gaara to know that he knew that about him. It felt like such an intimate fact.

“Welcome.” Gaara murmured as he started driving. He was secretly glad that Sasuke was one of those people that didn't mind how sometimes Gaara only spoke in fragments.  He wasn't entirely sure where he was going, though, he also realized. They didn't really decide on any real destination, mostly due to Gaara's over eagerness. “Do you...want to go anywhere?”

“Oh.” Sasuke seemed to consider it. “I'm fine with whatever.”

_Christ._ For some reason, that made Gaara feel ten times as anxious. The pressure was on him to decide where to go. He suddenly wanted to throw himself out of his car. “That...hm…”

Sasuke seemed to catch on to the little details about Gaara rather quickly. “We can go to the mall…?”

“Do you want to?” A quick glance told Gaara that Sasuke was watching him just as closely as Gaara usually watched _him_.

The Uchiha rolled his shoulders in a shrug. “Yeah.” He replied, looking away to gaze out the passenger seat window.

The mall...right. Gaara could handle the mall, even if it was crowded and filled with noise. Well, actually, the mere idea of stepping into the social hellhole made Gaara's breath catch in his throat. Crowded places didn’t mix well with Gaara, and they certainly didn’t mix well with his anxiety and irrational fear of bumping into someone only to get yelled at, or maybe hit. Ah….well, maybe not hit. Not everyone in the mall was his father. He almost wanted to tell Sasuke to pick another place but when he looked over at him and caught a glimpse of the sunlight washing over Sasuke's almost serene face, his will power crumbled faster than ever before.

Date number three was when Sasuke witnessed one of Gaara's anxiety attacks for the first time. If Gaara hadn't been worried about hyperventilating himself into a coma he might have been fairly embarrassed. They had only been in the mall for twenty minutes, but it was a rather busy day and the amount of people that kept slamming into him was enough to make Gaara's throat feel like it was collapsing. Shaking, and backed into a corner with his head bowed as he tried to control his breathing, Gaara felt like he was a child all over again. And really, who had an anxiety attack on a date? This wasn't cute. There was no way Sasuke could still possibly think he was hot after this. In fact, he was _waiting_ for Sasuke to laugh or scoff at him.

But Sasuke must have been half angel or something because he gently murmured Gaara's name to catch his attention, a hand up but not yet moving towards Gaara at all. “Can I touch you?”

All Gaara could manage was a nod, not trusting himself to speak.

Sasuke gently set his hand on Gaara's shoulder and squeezed a bit, before he slid his arm entirely around both of Gaara's shoulders. He was slow when he did this, as if he were afraid to startle Gaara. “Let's get back to the car.”

Gaara's legs felt heavy as stone as he let Sasuke lead him through the crowd, so he kept his head down. He felt so stupid, like he was a child all over again. This was just like when he was in middle school and high school, only this time Sasuke was here to witness it. Gaara _really_ hated how much he hated that. He hated how, after just three dates, he was so selfish conscious about how Sasuke viewed him.

They stepped out of the mall and into the parking lot and Gaara took a deep breath, leaning against his car once they reached it. He still didn't want to look at Sasuke or see whatever look the other had on his face, but he couldn't just ignore him, either. It was sort of hard to ignore someone in these sort of situations.

There was no disappointment in Sasuke's expression when Gaara finally glanced over at him, just an overflowing amount of worry. Gaara wasn't really sure what to say, his breathing still a little uneasy. Sasuke beat him to it though, stepping closer once more. “Are you okay, Gaara?”

Gaara nodded, a fast and jerky movement. “Yes. Just...overwhelmed...”

“I'm sorry.” Sasuke rushed out, looking away from Gaara and suddenly finding the ground very interesting. Sorry? What was he sorry for? “Naruto...said you get anxious in crowded places. I didn't think….if I knew the mall was that bad for you I would have suggested somewhere else...”

Gaara gave a rather jerky shake of his head. “I...I can usually handle it if I have a day or two to prepare myself...I'm sorry. Its…” He took another deep breath. “Childish of me to...freak out like this-”

“Gaara, it isn't childish at all.” Sasuke cut in softly, bottom lip caught between his teeth. He leaned back against Gaara's car and, after a few more silent moments, he spoke again. “I have anxiety attacks too. Not...from crowds or anything. Usually from school. Like...before big tests, or more often I have them in the middle of writing essays and term papers. It's...it's like I've told you before; my dad was...really strict about my grades. Even now, he still is since I still live with him so...I promise that you freaking out isn't childish…”

Gaara had no idea Sasuke had anxiety attacks as well. In a way that made him feel a little better, but it also made him a little sad. Someone as charming and...admittedly nice as Sasuke certainly didn't deserve to have such burdens.

“I've...had anxiety attacks since I was seven.” Gaara said, after what felt like forever. “They used to be every day but...they're not as frequent anymore…” he sucked in another breath, finally pleased to find it less difficult. “Went to therapy for a while...after high school...sort of helped…”

There was another silence that made Gaara uneasy. Not many people knew that he had gone to therapy...and even fewer people knew all the reasons why. Only his siblings and a few of the friends he had from high school knew the extent of just how messed up he was, and it made him a little glad that he and Sasuke hadn’t even realized each other existed when they went to the same high school.

But that silence left time for Gaara to panic. A part of him was suddenly terrified that letting it slip just how not normal he was had finally messed things up.

“There's a lot I don't know about you.” Sasuke said finally with a slightly breathless chuckle.

Gaara scoffed softly. “That a bad thing..?”

“No.”

“No?”

Sasuke shook his head. “No. It’s not bad. Just means that there's more about you to learn when you're ready to tell me.” He turned to Gaara again, offering a smile that was so gentle it made Gaara’s chest ache. “It goes both ways, too; there's a lot about me you don’t know, either. I guess we both sort of...have a lot to learn about each other.”

Gaara was the one biting his lip this time, forcing himself to look away. This was all uncharted territory. The only people who knew all the messy details about him were his siblings, Lee, Naruto, Shikamaru (a friend of his that was dating his sister) and the two Hyuga's he had been close with in high school who he still hung out with on occasion. All of his other friends...they knew bits and pieces and were content with that. No one has ever been so...eager to learn about his disasters.

But Sasuke had only asked him out to begin with because he thought Gaara was physically attractive. He had known next to nothing about Gaara before all of this and maybe that was why his eagerness to learn more about him made Gaara so uneasy.

“Sasuke, I'm a bit of a handful.”

“I have two hands.”

Gaara felt his face heating up again as Sasuke's smile grew even softer. But he didn’t get the chance to speak; Sasuke cut in. “Let's redo this date, okay? Another day, a different location...it'll be better. Date number three all over again.”

Yeah, that sounded… really nice. Restarting….

“Okay.” Gaara murmured, swallowing the lump in his throat and taking a deep breath. “Do...you need a ride home?”

“Yes.” Sasuke replied, getting into the car when Gaara did, as well. “I live near your work. Around the corner.”

Ah, yes. The big rich houses. Gaara knew those houses well. “Got it.” He murmured, starting the car. He was glad this anxiety attack hadn’t been nearly as bad as it could have been. It usually took him a lot of time to come back down and calm himself, to stop his hands from shaking and regain his composure. He supposed that maybe Sasuke’s presence and words had helped, though. He still felt a little unsteady, but confident enough to drive, thankfully.

The drive to Sasuke’s house was short, much to Gaara’s internal dispair. He pulled up in front of the house and looked over at Sasuke, watching him gather his backpack from the car floor. The other glanced up and his dark eyes met Gaara’s gaze, blinking in surprise. Gaara’s voice was rushed when he spoke. “Text you later?”

Sasuke’s lips twitched up into a smile. “Yeah. Drive safe.” He murmured softly, stepping out of the car.

Gaara waited until he saw Sasuke go inside, before he started his car again and drove away. His mind was already racing and he knew that the second he got home he was going to have to call Naruto to let him know about this disaster of a day. Naruto was already always eager to hear about every date ever, always such a gossip. Plus, Naruto would probably make him feel far less embarrassed about his anxiety attack. God bless that guy, sometimes.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for coming this far! You can come yell at me on [Tumblr](http://http://my-tatteredwingsof-freedom.tumblr.com//LINK)


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